The economic impact of uncertainties associated with energy-saving technologies

We will analyze the economic sensitivity of new energy-saving technologies to weather, future energy price, and system lifetime uncertainties. Graphical rate of return analysis is employed. A representative residential solar water heating investment is analyzed to illustrate the impact of uncertainties. The wide range of reasonable rates of return found suggests some considerations for policy makers and some areas of future research.     

Optimal control of auxiliary heating of passive-solar-heated buildings

Previous papers have demonstrated that low-cost off-peak electricity can be used to provide auxiliary heating for a passive-solar-heated residence. This paper describes the development of optimal control strategies for the operation of this auxiliary heating system. The temperature in the residence throughout the day as determined by computer simulation is presented for several optimal and conventional control strategies. The optimal control strategies improved the temperature control in the building compared to the conventional strategies. All strategies were shown to depend heavily on weather prediction. Computer simulations showed that errors in weather prediction had a small effect on heating cost and a large effect on being able to maintain the desired indoor temperature.     

Risk factors associated with recidivism among extrafamilial child molesters.

This study examined the predictive efficacy of 10 rationally derived, archivally coded variables for assessing reoffense risk among extrafamilial child molesters. Follow-up data on 111 child molesters who were discharged from the Massachusetts Treatment Center between 1960 and 1984 were used. Degree of sexual preoccupation with children, paraphilias, and number of prior sexual offenses predicted sexual recidivism. Juvenile and adult antisocial behavior, paraphilias, and low amount of contact with children predicted nonsexual victim-involved and violent recidivism. Area under the receiver-operating characteristic curves in all three analyses indicated discrimination that was substantially better than chance, ranging from .73 to .79. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prevention of bromobenzene toxicity by N-acetylmethionine: correlation between toxicity and the impairment in O- and S-methylation of bromothiocatechols

Bromobenzene (800 mg/kg, ip) caused severe liver necrosis with massive hemorrhage in the golden Syrian hamster within the first 24 hr. Kidney injury was also observed. Treatment with N-acetylmethionine (NAM) at an ip dose of 1200 mg/kg at 5 hr after bromobenzene administration significantly protected the liver and kidney against injuries. Plasma glutamate pyruvate transaminase and blood urea nitrogen levels were substantially decreased in the NAM-treated animals. Histological evaluations confirmed these results. When the urinary neutral and phenolic metabolites of bromobenzene from NAM-treated and untreated hamsters were isolated and compared by GC and GC/MS, a striking result was observed in terms of O- and S-methylated thiol-containing metabolite formation. The NAM-treated animals showed approximately a 8- to 14-fold increase in the excretion of the four isomeric O- and S-methylated bromothiocatechols. These thiocatechols, which are now known to be the 3,4-series metabolites of bromobenzene, can undergo methylation at either the thiol or the hydroxyl functional group. The excretion of 3-S- and 4-S-methylated bromodihydrobenzene thiolols was also increased significantly in the NAM-treated hamster, but other neutral and phenolic metabolites were relatively unchanged. These results suggest that bromobenzene toxicity in the Syrian hamster may be associated with impaired methylation capabilities, an impairment that could be due to methionine and glutathione depletion.     

"Does reward increase or decrease creativity?": Correction to Eisenberger and Selbst.

Reports an error in "Does reward increase or decrease creativity" by Robert Eisenberger and Michael Selbst (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1994[Jun], Vol 66[6], 1116-1127). In the aforementioned article, Figures 1 and 2 were interchanged. The figures appear with their correct captions in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1994-40652-001.) Two studies involving 504 school children investigated why behaviorists and cognitively oriented investigators have come to opposite conclusions about reward's effects on creativity. A monetary reward for a high degree of divergent thought in 1 task (word construction) increased children's subsequent originality in a different task (picture drawing). The same reward, made contingent on a low degree of divergent thought, reduced this generalized originality. These effects were eliminated by using a large reward and were restored by keeping the large reward out of the children's sight. The results suggest that reward training increases generalized creativity when (1) a high degree of divergent thought is required and (2) the reward is presented in not too salient a fashion. The findings are consistent with a 2-factor interpretation of rewarded creativity effects that incorporates learned industriousness and selective attention. [A correction concerning this article appears in Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 1994(Jul), Vol 67(1), 125. Figures 1 and 2 were interchanged.] (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Similarity, interactive activation, and mapping.

The question of "What makes things seem similar?" is important both for the pivotal role of similarity in theories of cognition and for an intrinsic interest in how people make comparisons. Similarity frequently involves more than listing the features of the things to be compared and comparing the lists for overlap. Often, the parts of one thing must be aligned or placed in correspondence with the parts of the other. The quantitative model with the best overall fit to human data assumes an interactive activation process whereby correspondences between the parts of compared things mutually and concurrently influence each other. An essential aspect of this model is that matching and mismatching features influence similarity more if they belong to parts that are placed in correspondence. In turn, parts are placed in correspondence if they have many features in common and if they are consistent with other developing correspondences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)